Land vehicle adapted for fire suppression



P. H. MURPHY LAND VEHICLE, ADAPTED FOR FIRE SUPPRESSION 2 sheets-sheet 1 Sept. 14, 1948.

Filed Sept. 6. ,1945

INVENTIOR.

ATTORN EIYS.

Sept. 14, 1948.

r P. H. MURPHY LAND VEHICLE, ADA PTED FOR FIRE SUPPRE SSION FiledSeptpS, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR. Philip Tifurpig Patented Sept. 14, 1948 owns-D STATES T T time vEnieLnAnAmEn Font-man t suv nnssron Philip H. Mmphy, Helena, Monti Application September 6, IMB Sei-iaLNot B l'dil'lfli (or. ic9 1) 4 Claims.

This invention relates toland vehicles and more: particularly to land vehicles adaptedto aid in suppressing fires.

One application of the. invention is in supe pressing. grass or range fires, although the vehicle is not confined. to such use.

An. important object oftheinvention is Lu provide a land vehicle, including a horizontallyrotating element or rotor, and a plurality of flexible paddles secured thereto at one of their ends, and-upon which the. element progressively rotates. thus affording. increased traction for the vehicle.

Another important object is to" provide a vehicle, as. described... the paddles of which aid in the suppression of. firesby the separation principle as. determinedby the United States Forest Ser-vice.- That is, that suppression is the result t the separationof i'uelirom flame oxygen from flame and/or fuel, and/or heat-generated gas or gases from flame, fueland/or oxygen.

Still another. important object is to provide a fire-suppressingapparatua. light in Weight, exceptionally mobile and one which: employs a combined. means. to separate: the flame from the gas; which its heat generates from. the combustible material, andto thrash and smother or blanket fires. I

Among other objects are to provide a fire-suppressing apparatus. which is free from gears, belts, chains,,pulleysand the like, consists of but few and simple parts, covers a. considerable areawhenoperation but. occupies only a small space for shipment, storage and the like.

Other objects: and advantages of the invention will be apparentduring the course of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings-,. forming a part of this specification and inwhich drawings Figure. 1 isv a side elevation of the novel land vehicle.

Figurev 2V is a vertical section thereof, on substantially the line 2-2 of Figure 1.v

Figure 3 is aview illustratingthe same in use.

Figure. 4. is an enlarged, fragmentary, transverse section of a rotor portion of the novel vehicle.

. Figure 5-is a section upon substantially the line 5--5 of Figure Figures 6 and-larcplan views of two types: of paddles employed. in the new vehicle.

Figure- 8 Ban and elevation thereof, suspended for storage.

m. the drawings. wherein for. thepurpose of- 21] illustration isshown a preferred; embodiment of the invention as awhole and: a: modification-oi the paddle structuratherletter A designates thevehicle as a whole, the letter B one typeofv flap"- or paddle, 6;. another type-ct flap or paddle,-.-arld D-a reservoir for water or thelikes The vehicle A includes a rotor' l-tl'; flapsior flex ible paddles H, secured at an end of. each'theretoby means l2 and a" handle l3 for guiding therotor l0, embodying conduits: for conveying-i st fluid to be discharged; upon the 'flaps= or paddles H.

Preferably,. themotor i0 includes-acylindrical portion i=5, disposed on a-horizontal-axis, anda disc portion or member it having alsubstalntiallv cylindrical peripheny closing each end of thecy-lindrical portion. L5,. the-diameters of the discs being greater thanthat of the cylindrical. por tion |5 but the axis- 01 allbeing. concentric so that there is a.rim section II to each disc; extending from the. outer surface 18 at the cylindrical portion l5 to= theedge face illof each: disc portion Hi. In the confronting (inner) iaces i'li of each rim section Ill are-a plurality of spaced apart sockets 21 for attachment of a-portion-of the means M tche subsequently described- At the axial center of each disc portion t6 is an opening 22* for portions oi the handle 1-3 to be described.

If desired, there may be a screw-threaded opening 2-3 inthe cylindrical portion I 5, com municating with the interion 24 of the cylindrical portion; and closed by ascrew threaded plug. 25. Preferably, theroton I01 and plug 25 are'ot metal, such as iron or steel,

Theflaps or flexible paddles Hoff this inven tion are important featureszthereoft Theyare; preferably... of some high fire resistant material, although materials such as gum-impregnated cord or fabric: belting, rubberized fabric,. and heavy, coarse wovencotton fabric may be employed. .Iheseare ofa wid'thl very slightly. less than that of theleng th of the cylindrical. pore tion l-5.- Their: length. is important.- Not only must they have a length suflicient. to cover aconsiderable area when n disposed flat upon that area.. but they mustbe long. enough and thick enough in order that several will take positions, me upon. another,. beneath the cylindrical? portion I5 and' form a tread therefon. preferably: raising. the disc portibnsliiebove the ground or other supportingsurface... Thusthey, have dual functions-in this novel firefighting. vehicle: In Figure 6 is shown one. embodimentmf the paddle or 'designated as- Bi has-"sul u stantially parallel end edges 30, an inner side edge 3|, designated in Figure 4, forming substantially right angles with the edges and a forward or outer side edge 32, substantially paralleling the edge 3|.

However, the flap or paddle may take the form shown in Figure 7. Here the edges 30 and 3| are substantially like vthe corresponding edges of the paddle orl'fiapshown in Figured l3ut the outer or forward edge 33 forms an acute angle with one end edge 30 and, of course, an obtuse angle with the other end edge 39. This modification is found desirable since it tends to direct the draft created by the descending flaps to one side of the path of travel of the novel vehicle and, consequently, if the vehicle has already traversed a path to the right of its subsequent path, sparks,

trifugal force away from the rotor ID, straightening out the same into wide, long, flat sheets which, as the rotor rolls forward will descend, with some force, upon the burning grass over a considerable area. This force of the descending paddles or flaps, and the draft created thereby, will separate the fuel from the flame, the oxygen from the flame and/ or fuel and/or heat-generated gas or gases from the flames f'uel and/or oxygen, thus following the United States Forest Service principles in grass or range-fire suppression.

flame, ash and cinders are directed uponan already. burned over area.

The means l2 to secure the flaps or flexible paddles'l I to the rotor It), includes a plurality of, preferably, round bars or-rods 35 extending longitudinally of the cylindrical portion l5 each, having reduced ends 36, which extend into the sockets 2|, as shown in Figure 5. These bars may be metallic or wooden. It will be noted that the diameter of the bar 35 is such that a U-shaped retainer or member 31, preferably of thin metal, may have its bight section 38 disposed about the bar 35 and its straight, parallel sections 39 contacting the flap or paddle II sothat the bight portion 38 Will not frictionally engage the cylindrical portion l5, thus permitting ready rotation of the retainer 31 about the bar 35. It will be noted in Figure 4 that the inner side edge 3i of the paddle orflap II is quite close adjacent the bar 35 but does not touch it and that the sections 39 are secured to the flap or paddle. The securing means 39' may be spaced apart rivets extending through the sections 39 and flaps or paddles l I'. Any suitable means maybe provided to guide or assist in propelling the rotor l0. In the example shown, a handle 13 is provided, which includes conduits for a fluid, such as water. By way of illustration, there maybe a pair of substantially L-shaped metallic members 40, with one end 41 of each extending into the openings 22. The opposite ends 42 of the members 49 may be coupled, as by elbows 43 to two like, tubular members 44 of metal coupled together at their inner ends, as by a T-coupling 45 and substantially paralleling the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical portion l5. They may be provided with a plurality of spaced apart perforations 46 of a size and disposition to spray water in a direction toward the cylindrical portion l5. (In reality, the spray is directed upon the rotating paddles or flap, as will be subsequently described.)

Also connected with the T-coupling is a length of tubing 41 ending in suitable valve 48 as a conventional rotary plug valve, also'coupled to another length of tubing 49 terminating in a conventional male coupling 50 for a hose end. It is preferred to protect this connection of tubing 49 and hose end by disposing a hand grip 5i, partly surrounding the coupling 50.

'In Figure 3 is shown one way the novel vehicle may be employed. The operator may carry upon his back a reservoir D containing water or other liquid employed in fighting fires, from which extends a hose 55 coupled tothe coupling 50, and the'flo-w of liquid may be regulated by manipulation of the valve 48. As the operator advances, rotor It will rotate, the forward free sections of the flaps or flexible paddles l I will move by cen- As the rotor Ill rotates, the flaps or flexible paddles, after they have flattened upon the ground, will be rolled upon by cylindrical portion l5 of the rotor and several (three, in the example shown) will form a layer below the rotor, upon which (and subsequent layers, as the rotor rotates and moves forward) the rotor will rotate, thus providing a tread for the rotor. 'Io effect this, the thickness of the flaps or flexible paddles must be taken into consideration. That is, if three flaps or paddles will form a layer below the rotor, then the shortest distance from the outer surface I8 of the cylindrical portion l5 to the edge face l9 of each disc portion it must be less than the shortest distance from the outer (or groundengaging) face of the lowermost flap to the upper (or cylindrical portion-engaging face) of the uppermost flap.

Because the vehicle is constructed and operates as described, propelling the same iseasy. Obviously, the rapidity with which it is propelled (either forward or backward) will govern, to a great extent, the territory-covered by it, but this territory will be much greater than that which may possibly be covered by employing a hand fire fighting means (as a gunnysack or a fire mop); Paths of fire-extinguished area of substantially equal Width may be created, thus providing for efliciency over the more or less haphazard paths created by the use of hand tools, since the area covered by the blanketing means thereof must, of necessity, be limited in order that they may be manipulated.

By proper manipulation of the valve 48, dependent upon the level of liquid in the reservoir D, the spray from the perforations 46 may be directed upon the ascending paddles and carried forward by them, to assist in fighting the flre.

In Figure 8 the novel apparatus is shown hung from a support with the flaps or flexible paddles in depending positions. Thus it-may be seen that the apparatus occupies but small space for storage. If desired the rotor may be weighted, by introducing water or sand through the screw-threaded opening 23 into the interior 24 of the cylindrical portion 15. The importance of the wide, long flexible paddles or flaps is now apparent, since they not only afford treads for the rotor but also means to light grass or range fires and suppress the same.

These flaps or flexible paddles do not snub the ground surface along their forward edges 32 or 33, as would short paddles. As they curve after flattening out upon the ground, they follow somewhat the contour of the cylidrical portion l5. It is apparent that their pivotal connections (instead of fixed, rigid connections) with the cylindrical portion [5 facilitates their mobility.

By the term long with respect to the flaps or flexible paddles H, in some of the claims is meant a flap or flexible paddle long enough to not only cover an appreciable area of surface, as the ground, in front or in the rear of the rotor).

but long enough to form a mobile tread for and secured to the rotor, with the outer surface E8 of the cylindrical portion 15 in contact with the upper surface of the flap or paddle ll.

Various changes may be made to the forms of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fire fighting vehicle for grass and range fires, a rotor having a substantially horizontal axis of rotation; a plurality of flaps of flexible fire-resistant material, each flap having a side margin; a separate means connecting each flap, at a side margin thereof, to said rotor, with all of said means extending substantially parallel with said axis and spaced apart, one from another, the size of each of said flaps being such that a portion of at least one of said flaps will underlie said rotor upon rotation thereof, whereby said flaps will provide treads for said rotor; and means for guiding said rotor upon rotation thereof.

2. In a fire-suppressing apparatus for grass and range fires, a rotor comprising a substantially cylindrical tubular portion, disc portions closing the ends of said cylindrical portion, all of said portions having a substantially common axis and the diameters of said disc portions being alike and greater than the outer diameter of said tubular cylindrical portion; a plurality of flaps of fire-resistant material; means pivotally connecting said flaps to said rotor, including a plurality of spaced-apart rods extending from disc portion to disc portion inwardly of the edges of said disc portions and outwardly of the outer surface of said cylindrical portion, and a plurality of substantially U-shaped members, with the bight sections thereof extending about said rods, there being at least one U-shaped member for each rod,

and the parallel sections of said U-shaped members secured to the inner sides of said flaps, th length of each of said flaps being such that a portion of at least one of said flaps will underlie said rotor when the rod to which said one flap i attached is in a position intermediate the lowermost and highest positions assumed by it upon rotation of said rotor; and means to guide said rotor.

3. In a fire-fighting apparatus for grass and range fires, a rotor including a pair of spaced apart members havin substantially cylindrical peripheries; a plurality of spaced-apart rods associated with said members, each rod being connected at its ends to said members and bridging the space between said members; a plurality of paddles of flexible, fire-resistant material, each having an inner side edge section; means disposed along the inner side edge section of each paddle, to pivotally connect each addle to its associated rod, the length of the said paddle being such that portions of at least two paddles will be disposed one upon another, beneath said rotor during rotation of said rotor; and handle means for said rotor.

4. In a fire-fighting apparatus for grass and range fires, a rotor including a pair of spaced apart members having substantially cylindrical peripheries; a plurality of spaced-apart rods associated with said members, each rod bein connected at its ends to said members and bridging the space between said members; a plurality of paddles of flexible, fire-resistant material; means disposed along the inner side edge section of each paddle, to pivotally connect each paddle to its associated rod, the length of the said paddle being such that portions of atleast t-wo paddles will be disposed one upon another, beneath said rotor during rotation of said rotor; and handle means for said rotor including a tubular, rigid conduit having a horizontal portion thereof extending substantially parallel with and facin said rods and being disposed above the highest horizontal planes of said rods, said horizontal portion being provided with a plurality of liquid exit openings, and being disposed outwardly of the path of travel of said paddles.

PHILIP I-I. MURPHY.

REFERENCES CITED FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Jan. 26, 1922 Number 

